Tag: chocolate

sunday muffins- gluten-free double chocolate mini muffins!

nothing beats a little bit of chocolate and these mini muffins really just hit the spot!

last weekend we were away and fortunate enough to get to spend sunday morning on the beach.  our short vacation was much needed and we all returned feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. the thought of travelling internationally during the pandemic had us all on edge but everything went better than we anticipated and being able to spend most of our time outdoors helped to assuage our fears of being around strangers for the first time in months.

we visited a hotel in dubai where we had stayed before; but quite some time ago- our last visit there was in 2013-and we found many pleasant changes upon our arrival… more restaurants to visit, a whole new wing of the hotel, and tons of gluten-free options. full gluten-free menus are now easily available in all the dining areas and asking for gluten-free bread was not met with looks of uncertainty! at breakfast i was even offered a whole basket of gluten-free pastries- first time that has ever happened!

the mini muffins were my favorite and they are the inspiration behind this week’s sunday muffins. i’m not sure which recipe the hotel used but here is one with shredded zucchini that we love in our house- not vegan but thoroughly gluten-free and delicious too!

ingredients:

  • 1 cup zucchini- shredded 
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 large handful dark and milk chocolate- roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup gluten-free flour
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup coconut oil- melted

instructions: 

  • preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
  • line mini muffin pan with muffin liners
  • combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
  • combine eggs, almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract in another bowl- mixing well
  • pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined
  • add in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips
  • use a small spoon to fill muffin cups
  • bake for 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean

*** if making regular sized muffins please increase cook time to 20-25 minutes***

vegan chocolate sorbet

alegra found this vegan chocolate sorbet recipe and asked if we could make it…

at first i hesitated, worried that it would involve an intricate process of cooking, cooling and freezing. but with all this self-isolating taking a toll on our moods i decided to go ahead and say yes. thank goodness i did! the recipe is super simple, the freezing time is totally reasonable, and the end result was right down my alley- not too sweet and not at all too heavy!

ingredients-

  • one can organic coconut milk (be sure to include all the creamy parts too)
  • 3 tablespoons raw cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup- add more for sweeter sorbet
  • 1/2 package organic blueberries

instructions

  • blend coconut mill, cocoa and maple syrup in the blender until well combine
  • stir in blueberries carefully so as not to crush them
  • place in freezer proof container for a minimum of 4 hours
  • allow to thaw slightly before serving

any number of add-ons would be delicious with this recipe- shredded coconut for coconut lovers like me, chocolate chips might be good, different berries would work too!